Nobody's Fool
by thef00l2
Summary: Set after 5th year, Harry decides to take his destiny into his own hands, comes into his own and discovers his hidden power, and works on removing the incompetant Fudge in his spare time.
1. Chapter One

During the summer of his fifth year Harry decided to start keeping a few journals. One of the journals chronicled everything that happened to him since his Hogwarts letter first arrived at Number Four Privet Drive and all subsequent events – at least those that Harry experienced first hand or were related to him by others. It also contained his personal thoughts and feelings like any other journal. Harry refused to call it a diary being both a boy and having bad experiences with diaries courtesy of his biggest fanatic, Tom Riddle. The slim notebooks were charmed, able to be opened only by the correct password and to contain an endless supply of paper. An old family friend, Remus Lupin, did the charms work. The other journal was a dream journal, although not one that the old Divination Professor Trelawny would have assigned. This particular collection was a written recording of every dream that he had of Voldemort that summer. Neither of the two journals was known to anybody save Harry and Remus per Harry's request, although Harry readily sent copies of the dream journal pages to Dumbledore via the invisible minders that were ever-present outside the Dursley home. This was not out of any obligation to Dumbledore, but if it helped prevent deaths, Harry would do what he could.

Harry had decided to take charge of his own life and be nobody's fool. He was still furious with the Headmaster for withholding information. Thinking back over the years, Harry recalled numerous occasions where information that was withheld from him could have drastically altered events in favor of the light. An example that came to mind was Snape could be trusted because he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry's knowledge of that would not have changed his opinion of Snape though. Snape was and still is a git. But knowing he could be trusted would have saved a lot of lives. Instead of trying to follow Professor Severus Snape around like he did, searching out evidence of evil doing, attention would have been brought onto Professor Quirrell much sooner, revealing before it was too late that Voldemort possessed him. It might have even been possible to deal with Voldemort before he was regenerated during the Tri-Wizard Cup. But all that was water under the bridge. The key point was that Dumbledore never felt that Harry could be trusted with anything important. The Headmaster abandoning him to the Dursley's tender mercies was only icing on the cake. He intended to be the one to survive the prophecy. The way Harry read it; there were only three possible outcomes. Number one and the most feared was that Voldemort would triumph and chaos would rule, making Adolph Hitler look like Mother Teresa. The second outcome was that both Harry and Tom would perish together, thus preserving the peace. Harry preferred the third and final option, which was where he would be the one to survive, not Voldemort. He personally despised that moniker since in this one case, Dumbledore was correct. Voldemort was just a name and it wasn't even really his name either. It was just an anagram of the evil bastard's muggle name, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Tom himself showed him that during the episode in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry vowed to call him Tom as much as possible and get people to either call him that or start saying Voldemort. He resolved to get proof of Tom's muggle background and would look on the Internet after he got a laptop computer. If he could prove that Tom was a halfblood, then he would lose some of his pureblood supporters. He would need to get Mr. Weasley's help since he wanted it enchanted to work at Hogwarts and Grimmauld Place and did not want run afoul of the law in doing so.

Harry started making a list of goals he needed to accomplish or wanted to do after he defeated Voldemort in the 1st journal with comments next to some of the entries. He typed them up on the laptop when he got it.

LIST OF GOALS 

1. Kick Tommy's Arse

2. Get Cornelius Fudge out of office as soon as possible

3. Deal with the Malfoys

4. Find a girl --_see list of cute girls for the girls I like_

5. Deal with Umbridge – _Prank the heck of her (note to self: see if the twins can come up with a Wheeze that transforms one into a centaur)_

6. Figure out what to do after Voldemort. _Auror or Professional Quidditch???_

7. Get Ron & Hermione together

8. Find a HOME. _Grimmauld Place as it stands can't qualify as a home unless it gets redecorated and the annoying painting in the foyer is dealt with. Note to self-since it's a permanent sticking charm on the wall – remove that part of the wall if necessary and re-plaster it. Maybe get Remus to deal with that. Might help him out taking out some of his anger on the painting._

9. Become an animagus like Dad and Sirius

10. Take care of Peter Pettigrew and clear Sirius' name.

LIST OF GIRLS I LIKE 

1. Cho Chang _I had a crush on her but that ended with the incident in Madam Puddifoots and her siding with that traitor Edgecombe in DA. I wonder if I should continue the DA this year? Note to self—ask Hermione since it was her idea in the 1st place._

2. Hermione Granger _Definitely not a possibility since Ron is in love with her even though he refuses to admit it. She is the sister I never had and the smartest witch in history._

3. Luna Lovegood _She has an unusual look both in general and on life but she was there for me at the Ministry. I like the fact that she knows how to think outside the box. I'll keep her on the list for now. _

4. Susan Bones _I really don't know much about her but she's cute and her Aunt was fair during the trial unlike Fudge and I don't remember her wearing a Potter Stinks Badge._

5. Parvati Patil _It didn't go very well at the Ball but she does have nice knockers._

6. Ginny Weasley _my best mate's sister, very cute, she was the only one not to treat me with kid gloves last year. I say this --she's definitely got her mum's temper and from what Remus has said, my mum had a similar one. Actually his words were 'Harry, she's so like your mum sometimes it's scary. Lily sounded just like that when she was tearing into the Marauders for one thing or another.' She's a definite possibility but there are several problems. Problems 1-7 are her six brothers and father. Molly at least I think would be on my side. 8, she said she was over me (I never got a chance to know her till at all till last year since she kept running away from me). 9, last thing I heard was on the train and she said she liked Dean. (God I hope not)_

Remus had contacted him recently in regards to Sirius's last will and testament and came yesterday to take Harry to Gringotts to meet with the goblin solicitor. Basically Sirius had ended up making Harry the heir to the Black Fortune and Estates because he wanted to and to keep it out of the hands of the Malfoy and Lestrange families. Harry had full control over these unlike with the Potter vaults and estates since they were setup in trusts except for his personal vault, which was to be used for school and miscellaneous expenses. Harry wasn't aware of the existence of the Potter items, save for his vault, due to Dumbledore's interference. The only stipulations to the will besides pranking and the gift of his cherished '67 Triumph if it was still around, was that Remus was to be allowed to live at Grimmauld Place as long as he lived and to be given an annual stipend for tutoring Harry since Sirius wanted Remus to be taken care of. The continued existence of Sirius's motorbike was confirmed and Moony said he currently had possession of it, would soon turn it over to Harry, and Hagrid had been taking care of it since he delivered Harry to Privet Drive that fateful morning.

One interesting item that was given to Harry during the meeting was a key to a muggle safety deposit box which was unexpected by both Harry and Remus, neither of which had a clue what might be in it. The two of them agreed to visit the bank the next day to find out the contents of the box and let Harry have a little bit of fun that day. Before they left Gringotts, Harry made a large withdrawal from the Black accounts and had the goblins convert some of it to pounds, about 20,000 pounds and 5000 Galleons. Harry also had the goblins setup a checking account in the muggle branch of Gringotts with an opening balance of 15,000 pounds. This included proper documentation for writing a check as well as a Visa checkcard that could be used from that account. Surprisingly, the goblin volunteered some information. He informed them that there was a deposit box setup in Harry's name at that branch already. They quickly verified that the key that Harry had just received was for it. As a courtesy to such a prestigious client such as Mr. Potter, an enchanted wallet was given that would handle both muggle and wizarding currencies. Harry handed Remus 500 pounds for expenses and told him not to argue about it and Harry walked away with about 4,500 quid in various denominations.

In Diagon Alley, Harry made several purchases with Remus' and Tonks' help. Since Fudge had admitted that Voldemort had returned publicly, she was able to appear openly with them and had been assigned detached duty along with Shacklebolt to help guard Harry since he was undeniably Voldemort's primary target. This worked out well for Dumbledore since they were both watching Harry for the Order.

Harry purchased a trunk like Moody's since he had thought it was so cool and practical and had the store clerk put featherlight, and illusion charms as well as some straps on it so it could transported easily by Harry while in the muggle world. The charms were activated by a password. The illusion charm made it appear as a large duffel designed to be worn backpack style. Harry also purchased two backpacks that were charmed to hold several times their apparent volume and still remain lightweight. There was also a good amount of books purchased at Flourish and Blotts including several Auror-Restricted titles that Tonks had to authorize. They couldn't get Harry's books for next year since he had not received his OWL results yet. The next to final stop in Diagon Alley was at The Owl Emporium to pickup a house owl for Grimmauld Place and the necessary equipment for him. Harry picked out a non-descript, medium-sized brown barn owl. The final destination was to buy Harry some new robes. After picking out his new school robes, Harry had both of them help pick out a new dress robe. The three of them then went on a shopping spree in London.

Harry decided he first wanted to go and get the laptop he wanted before doing the clothes bit. After choosing nice laptop, he picked up several accessories such as a bag, a large pack each of recordable CDs and DVDs. In the music & movie section of the store he picked out a large selection of popular movies and music. Harry also picked out a set of headphones and small speakers for listening purposes. Harry mentioned wanting to enchant the computer to work at Grimmauld Place and Hogwarts to Remus. The werewolf said he would confer with Arthur on the necessary charms and paperwork necessary. Now came the hard part, shopping for clothes.

Tonks chose of half of the items with Remus picking out more dressy looking clothes such as a couple blazers, polo shirts, slacks, etc. Tonks was having fun embarrassing Harry while they were choosing undergarments. One of the items she held up for display had been a very skimpy thong style. Harry insisted on Remus picking up a few outfits for himself as well since his clothes were so threadbare.

Not wanting Tonks to overhear, Harry whispered to Remus "I would like you to wear one of the new outfits back to Privet Drive. I've got a plan to get me out of there early".

Remus discussed a few other things with Harry after returning to Privet Drive before Remus left to go back to Headquarters.

They discussed ways to deal with Mrs. Black's painting and Harry brought up his theory about performing surgery on the wall. The werewolf agreed that it might be a viable possibility and would look into it. Harry mentioned wanting to hire Dobby and Winky to take care of the house. Winky plainly was still unhappy after being dismissed and Dobby well, was Dobby.

Girls were part of the next topic as Harry brought up the existence of his two lists. Harry soon confided that he had a plan worthy of the Marauders to get rid of Fudge and get somebody who would be worthwhile in the position, preferably with ties to the order. Harry quickly assured him that Mundungus was not one of the candidates being considered as Minister of Magic. Moony was very curious and concerned that Harry might get hurt because of this. But he was told not to worry and that Harry was not planning on any physical confrontations with Fudge and that Harry was not going to give him any details so as to provide plausible deniability to the werewolf.

Harry did ask though, "Moony, if I pull this off can I start the new generations of the Marauders?"

Remus replied, "Harry you already are one of us, though you haven't earned a nickname yet besides Prongs Jr. You were into making mischief since the day you were born. I'll never forget the time when you were a baby and peed on James while he was changing your nappy." Harry turned bright red at this. Talk soon came back to girls.

"From the looks of it Harry, you've already made up your mind which girl you want. What is it with Potter men and redheads?" said a grinning werewolf.

Harry frowned, "What do you mean? "

Remus laughed, "From what James said, his mum was a redhead just like Lily."

Harry turned even redder and mumbled something, looking down at his feet.

"What was that Harry? I didn't quite catch that?" Remus smirked.

"She said she was over me, ok?" snapped Harry.

"Well Harry, don't give up on her" laughed Remus. "A few words of advice though. Treat her well and remember that the best and longest lasting relationships start out based on friendship."

Next Harry and Remus discussed a theory Harry had about the blood protections and the Fidelius Charm. Harry believed that the blood protection given by his mother was no longer very effective because of what happened at the graveyard, the visions last year when Voldemort was able to enter his mind, and of course the events at the Ministry. He also brought up the fact that Quirrell was destroyed due to his possession by Voldemort and the protections. Dumbledore had said that his mother's love had protected him that time. But after his regeneration Voldemort was able to physically touch him without being destroyed. Harry mentioned during the conversation that Voldemort's real name was Tom Riddle and was really a half-blood, not the pureblood that everyone thinks he is.

Even though Harry wasn't a Ravenclaw, he was taught logic in primary school before he left for Hogwarts. Vernon hadn't wanted to send him to school at all but the law gave him no choice.

"Logic dictates that since the effect of my blood taken by Tom during the regeneration negated the effects of the protection and allowed him to touch me. Which means that Tom is also able to be touched. I think that means his immortality that he wanted, he lost at that point thru his own fault." argued Harry.

Since Harry had revealed the Prophecy in it's entirety to Remus before they left for Gringotts, he raised the point that the power that the dark lord knows not is probably love.

Harry stated, "The power has got to be love. It's the only thing that makes any sense at this point since Tom grew up without any love and believes that it's a weakness. Since love and blood are the foundation for the protection my mum gave me, he made himself vulnerable thru it when he took my blood and used it. But that's not enough though. It also has to do with my capacity for love for my friends and family and most other people. I refuse to count Snape among either category."

"Since the protections aren't entirely reliable here anymore, I think I should move to Grimmauld place since that's the safest place for me at this point, including Hogwarts. The Dursleys will be as safe as any other muggle family if not more since Mrs. Figg nearby and can summon the Order quickly if needed. Even though they seriously hate magic and anything to do with it, they can be issued emergency portkeys which would not violate the law since they are very much aware of the existence of magic."

Remus asked, "Why do you think that it's safer than Hogwarts?"

"Because it's unplottable, under Fidelius, and there are no death eaters or sympathizers there except for Snape. Hogwarts has Draco Malfoy and the other death eaters' spawn. One good thing this year is going to be Malfoy can get in trouble since Lucius can't influence the governors since he's in Azkaban now. Snape will still play favorites with him since he's still spying for the Order. Also since my aunt and uncle are my legal guardians it's their decision where I live, not Dumbledore's and given their attitude towards me I think I can convince them easily to let me move there. Since they are still my guardians, the blood protections that are left will still be in place. From what research I did in the school library on blood magic before I left, the protection doesn't require my physical proximity like Dumbledore said except for a minimum two week continuous period and the continued agreement to protect and accept me under Petunia's guardianship, since she is the only actual blood relative there in authority. I will not forgive the Headmaster for what he's done. I may have to obey him at school, but he's not in charge of me otherwise. If he really cared like he said he did, then he would have checked up on me before I went to Hogwarts instead of abandoning me to Uncle Vernon's tender mercies. Tom was better treated while he was growing up in the orphanage than I was!"

Remus looked saddened at all this but couldn't find much to argue with. "Harry, if you can get Vernon and Marge to agree and put it in writing, I'll get Dumbledore to get a guard to come get you as soon as we can spare enough people."

Harry replied, "As much as I detest the idea, what about a portkey to there? The Headmaster is the only one who could do it though I bet, since he's the secret keeper. Or we can use the motorcycle with the invisibility switched on. Personally I prefer the motorcycle for a couple of reasons. One, it allows me to get out and see the city while remaining safe. Let's face it, most wizards can't see the invisible like the Headmaster and Moody's Eye is even more rare. Let's go downstairs to talk to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Just if they ask about money, tell them that you'll cover it since they think I'm penniless. I bet you a Galleon that they'll agree even though Professor Dumbledore threatened Aunt Petunia to let me stay and then I'll see you here tomorrow at 8am so we can go into London and visit the bank and afterwards do stuff with Tonks for fun." Harry added with a twinkle in his eye, "Trust me?"

Heading down the stairs, Remus reflected how many times James had said the exact same thing.

"Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon? I've got a proposition for the two of you that I think you will love. Consider it a business proposition if you want Uncle Vernon" Harry said with a confident but innocent look on his face.

Petunia narrowed her eyes at him and wondered what he was up to. Vernon just glared daggers at Harry.

"My Godfather, you remember, Sirius Black? He died recently and left Remus and me here a wizarding house which being 'magical' in nature would of course not be of any value or interest to you. What I propose is that you let me live there during the summer except for two weeks at the beginning of the summer next year and the year after since it's required to maintain the protections over the house and this family. When I turn 17, I will be considered an adult you-know and you will no longer be required to do anything in regards to me. For that two week period though I will expect to be treated just like a 'paying' guest which means no doing chores, being treated with respect, decent food and portions of it, staying in the same room as before but the only locks on the inside."

Vernon started turning purple at this point but kept his temper when Remus glared at him and cracked his knuckles showing the scars covering his arms.

"Since I mentioned 'paying' I would be doing so, say ten pounds a day. And I would suggest so that Dudley doesn't destroy the room or cover it with his broken toys, to consider doing something similar for the rest of year. Meaning except for period ending the day school ends for two weeks after that you rent out the room to tourist boarders like a bed and breakfast since Aunt Petunia does not work and is an excellent cook. Did I mention that you could charge twenty quid a day or more for tourists like Americans that want a taste of the perfect, normal, British home (Harry putting extra emphasis on the words perfect and normal). If you do the arithmetic, we're talking several thousand pounds of extra cash coming in each year. It could go towards buying that vacation home you've always wanted in Majorca or at very least a nice vacation. All you have to do is agree to it and we put it in writing. Is it a deal?"

Aunt Petunia's eyes lit up at the thought of finally getting a chance at her dream house.

"Vernon, I can't see anything wrong with it. We win no matter what. Let's do it!" said Petunia, turning to face Vernon with a hopeful look.

Vernon stood still with a thoughtful look on his face, giving the deal the same consideration he gave any business deal from Grunnings Drills. Not finding anything wrong with the deal that he could put his finger on he agreed. He looked at the werewolf and said with his distaste for the wizarding world evident in his voice, "What do your kind think of this and how would he pay for it since he has no money?"

Remus ignored his tone and replied carefully not wanting to set Vernon off knowing his feeling in regards to wizards, "A contract like this would be valid and binding in both worlds. I see no problems with it and I will cover his expenses both here and there."

Vernon considered this and stated brusquely, "Let's get this on paper then."

Harry produced a contract he'd already written up, having given this a lot of thought and knowing the various motivations of his aunt and uncle, mainly greed. Harry, Petunia, and Vernon signed the contract and dated it with Remus as a signatory witness. Since it was basically a muggle contract with the Dursleys as the adult muggles, Remus would be a valid witness even with his handicap.

Remus apologized that he had to make copies of the contract and asked if Vernon had a photocopier, if not then he could make copies in the other room so they wouldn't have to watch it being done, declining to specify how of course, knowing Vernon's hatred of magic. Vernon shook his head and pointed to the kitchen. Remus returned shortly with a total of five copies, giving one copy each to Vernon and Harry, saying that the other copies were needed for Ministry purposes.

Vernon demanded of Harry at this point, "How soon can you be out of here?"

Harry looked at Remus who replied to Vernon, "I would guess within the next two to three weeks due to the processing of the paperwork and making transportation and security arrangements. I will be back tomorrow since I am taking Harry out for the day in London. Since we are inconviencing your suppertime, I took the liberty of ordering some pizza and sodas. Enough for everyone to have their own with an extra for whomever wants more."

When seeing Vernon start to get angry with this, he added "My treat."

Harry asked looking at Dudley who had just come down from his room hearing the word pizza from upstairs behind a closed door just like any other teenager, "Can we go to the zoo, Remus? Dudley can come if he wants to."

Dudley shook his head violently, remembering the last time he was at the zoo with Harry.

Looking at Dudley and seeing he actually had lost weight since the incident with the dementors last year, he took pity on him. Harry said, "I know it's bad for your diet, but any time you remember how you felt last year about 'that' time, try eating some chocolate. It actually does help with dealing with those things."

Remus nodded at this and handed the money to Harry for the pizzas and pointedly told him while eyeing Vernon, "Keep the change for the pizzas because you'll need it tomorrow."

Remus gave Harry a hug and messed up his hair. "Harry, I'll see you at eight o'clock in the morning. Be waiting outside.

Holding out his hand to Vernon to shake, "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Vernon, not seeing anything else to do, and he was being treated as a businessman, not to mention the man was buying him dinner, shook his hand and walked him to the door and politely opened the door and let him out into the night.


	2. Chapter Two

Harry awoke to the buzzing of his alarm clock at seven o'clock that next morning. Remembering that at least for now he had to continue to deal with the cooking of breakfast and that he and Remus would be finding out what was in that safety deposit box.

Harry was also excited about a return trip to the zoo finally. It would be only the second time he had ever been there and at least this time he would be able to enjoy himself. Harry wondered if the boa constrictor that he had freed last time was recaptured or not, but he hoped that it wasn't the case. Harry mused, a_t least talking to him this time won't be a surprise._

Harry went to take a quick shower and put on one of his new outfits. Turning red as he remembered arguing with Tonks about boxers or briefs, he put on the blue and green checked boxers, a pair of black jeans, and a green polo that matched his eyes.

Hurrying downstairs only to find that Aunt Petunia was already fixing breakfast, bacon and scrambled eggs in this case. She asked in a kind voice what he wanted for breakfast. Harry replied that what she was fixing would be perfect. She then thanked him for the idea for converting the second bedroom into a hostel room but told him that he should have thought of it a long time ago. Harry thought to himself that some things never change.

Vernon was the next to come down. He gave Harry a brief nod and then settled at the table with his breakfast and the morning paper. Dudley probably would not show until almost noon or possibly after being the spoiled teenager that he was. Harry ate his breakfast in silence, not wanting to spoil the most peaceful breakfast he'd ever had at Privet Drive in all his young life. He did ask his aunt afterwards though since it was a quarter to eight already.

"Aunt Petunia, did you want me to help you with the dishes before I leave this morning?"

She replied, "No need Harry, I'll do them in a bit. You can go wait for your f-friend on the porch if you'd like."

Vernon rustled the paper at that but didn't say anything.

Harry shrugged and went back upstairs to make sure he had the key, his wallet, and his new knapsack that he got yesterday at the same time as the trunk. Harry put a couple of his new books in it so he could read while waiting for Remus. He actually got two knapsacks with the intention of giving the second to Hermione as a present. Harry wasn't sure how they would be getting to the bank since there wasn't a phone at headquarters and Remus had not called for a cab last night. Harry thought, _maybe we'll ride the motorcycle there_.

Harry walked outside and squinted in the bright sunlight. He put the clip-on sunglasses on and sat down to wait. Harry thought to himself _I've got to get my eyes fixed. What did I hear advertised on the telly? LASIK? I think I should make an appointment. _To pass the time, he pulled out **1001 Unorthodox and Exotic Dueling Tips** and began leafing through it. He heard a stumble and a curse and said "Hello Tonks, have a nice night?" From out of nowhere he heard, "Wotcher, Harry! Bloody rocks need to watch they're going!" Harry shook his head in amusement and went back to his book.

Harry heard a rumble in the distance that kept getting louder. Shortly he could see a motorcycle appear becoming larger as it came closer. The only detail he could make out as that the rider had a bright crimson and gold helmet on. _Hmm maybe he did ride it? _Harry thought, thinking it might be Black's old Triumph.

As the rider pulled up in front of Number Four Privet Drive, Harry discretely reached his hand into the knapsack to grip his wand. Tonks said, as she removed her invisibility cloak after glancing around to make sure nobody was watching, "Don't worry Harry, that is just Remus." She was wearing a tight blue tube top and black leather miniskirt along with calf height black boots as well. The bubblegum pink hair that she liked seemed to fit right in with her look. She looked like she was ready to hit the clubs right then and there.

Remus removed his helmet, revealing his smiling face, and waved the two of them over. He told Harry, "Sirius wanted the bike to be yours when you're old enough to ride it which knowing Sirius doesn't necessarily mean legally which is why your driver's license that you got yesterday from the goblins has the incorrect year on it. We'll discuss what else we are going to do with the motorcycle later"

Harry said with a wink, "That's great, I can't wait."

Harry released his wand and packed up his book and joined him with Tonks bouncing along next to him. Handing both of them helmets, Remus gestured for them both to mount up behind him. They took off heading for London and the bank with Tonks holding onto Harry for dear life, not quite trusting Remus's riding abilities with two passengers. Harry didn't mind at all. What teenage boy wouldn't mind a pretty woman pressed tightly against him?

The trio arrived after a while at the bank. After Tonks and Harry dismounted, Remus backed the bike into a parking space and locked it up securely and enabled the security spell. After all, you don't leave a valuable classic motorcycle without taking a few precautions.

As they entered the bank, they tended to receive lots of stares from the customers and employees. Well at least Tonks got the stares. Harry approached the receptionist and asked to be shown to the vault so he can access his box. He advised Harry that someone would be up momentarily and to have a seat.

After a few minutes, a sharp dressed young man approached and introduced himself as Mr. Anthony Stark. He motioned for Harry and associates to follow him back to the vault. As they approached the vaults, Harry had a sense of excitement. What could his parents have put in there?

After the vault clerk inserted and turned his key, Harry drew out his key and inserted it. As he turned it, he wasn't sure what to expect. The clerk pulled open the door and reached in and pulled something out, handing a large, flat metal box to Harry. The box was roughly one foot on each side and about two feet long.

Pointing to a small room to their left, the clerk said, "Sir, you can examine the contents in that room over there."

He then removed the master key and Harry removed his as well.

"Use the intercom to call me when you're ready to put it back, "the man said before exiting the area.

Bringing the box into the room and setting it on the table, Harry took a deep breath and let it out. Looking at Remus, he said, "I'm glad that you're here with me Moony".

"I'm glad to be here, Harry", said Remus.

Taking another deep breath, Harry opens the box and looks inside.

_Next Chapter: We find out the contents of the vault!_

_Author's Note: Thanks to HermioneGreen for Betaing the story for me. Don't you just love cliffhangers??? _

_ Ducks and hides from all the dead fish flying his way _

_(Obligatory Review Begging insert here) _


	3. Chapter Three

Bringing the box into the room and setting it on the table, Harry took a deep breath and let it out. Looking at Remus, he said, "I'm glad that you're here with me Moony".

"I'm glad to be here, Harry", said Remus.

Taking another deep breath, Harry opened the box and looked inside.

Inside the box was a large stack of parchments, a single blue knitted baby bootie, a small book that appeared to be handwritten, a woman's diary, a stack of stock certificates, a photo album, an ornate old-fashioned key with an initial engraved on it, a small jewelry box, and a wand. On top of all the items was a folded letter with Harry's name on it. Remus recognized it as Lily's handwriting and told Harry so.

Looking over the stack of parchments, it was apparent that a few of them were birth and death certificates, including copies of Harry's muggle and wizarding birth certificates. Some of the others appeared to be Quidditch diagrams, property deeds in the Evans name, and a copy of Lily and James's will. Other documents detailed various spells. Harry noticed that his father notated one of the spell sheets that it would be perfect for mischief. Looking over it, it detailed how to hide one's magical signature. He quickly tucked that one inside his backpack. One piece of parchment appeared to be blank though.

Harry looked at Moony and said with a grin, "I get the feeling that this might be related to another blank piece of paper in my possession."

Remus smiled back and said, "Only one way to find out, Harry." Gesturing to Tonks to watch the door, he drew his wand and tapped the parchment saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Words started appearing on the paper.

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

Are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP 

The words disappeared and a map of Hogwarts appeared with a few new areas that weren't familiar to the two men.

Remus exclaimed, "James, you dog! I never knew that you created a copy of the map and that there were rooms that you never mentioned on it!" Harry chuckled at that. Remus then cleared the map with the phrase, "Mischief Managed!"

"Remus, I'll have fun exploring it this year. Maybe we can unblock that passage on the fourth floor somehow finally."

Harry returned most of the stock certificates to the box since they were for various muggle companies except for one, not being interested in what they were at this point. The company that caught his eye was for Grunnings Drills. Harry remembered Uncle Vernon talking about how the company was doing in the market and did some quick math in his head and gasped. _Bloody Hell! If I'm guessing right, I've actually got a majority holding! Hmmm, this puts a whole new outlook on how my 'Dear Uncle' is going to treat me if I decide to tell him. _He noticed that several other certificates were for wizarding establishments. Looking them over Harry noticed that one of them was for the Daily Prophet and that there were a large number of shares listed too. Harry had some interesting thoughts at that point. _Hmmm, I don't think that they knew I was a stockholder when they were saying all that bad stuff about me. There has to be a record of the total number of shares they have out. Maybe Remus can find out for me. This might work out just fine with my plan to get rid of Fudge. _Two more certificates were for the Chudley Cannons, with ten shares on one and one hundred on the other. Harry decided to give the smaller of the two to Ron as a present, Ron being such a diehard Cannons fanatic. Harry asked Remus if he would make copies of the parchments, including the stock certificates. Remus agreed and did so, his eyes widening as he saw the company names on the certificates. After he was finished, both the copies and the originals were placed in a folder that Harry had in the pack to protect them from damage and put inside the pack.

As Remus was making the copies, Harry was placing the other items into his backpack. He noticed the title on the handwritten book was The Animagus Guide by The Marauders. Grinning at this, he put that in the front pocket of the pack for easy access. The diary was locked but it didn't have a keyhole. It just had a tiny needle-like stud on the silver lock where the keyhole would normally be. Harry suspected that it was cursed not to open to anybody but his mum (or possibly himself being related – since the stud looked like it would prick his finger if touched). Harry then picked up the key.

He had never seen a key quite like that one. It was almost a foot long and heavy. It appeared to be made out of gold, but nowhere near that soft. Harry could feel a tingle of magic coming from it. The initial on the handle was a stylized G embossed below a Rampant Griffin looking particularly realistically engraved. Harry was afraid it would either roar or try to bite him. He could have sworn that the eyes on it followed him as he put it in the knapsack.

Leafing through the photo album, he realized that it's his parents wedding album. Resolving to show it Remus later, he placed it in the backpack.

Harry put the jewelry box in his pack resolving to look at the contents later. Next was the baby bootie, which he assumed was one of his when he was a baby. Next to last was the letter. Harry didn't want to open the letter right there. He was afraid what it might say. He placed it unopened in the knapsack.

When Harry picked up the wand, it gave off a large shower of red sparks. It was ten and quarter inches long and made from willow. Since he wasn't Ollivander, there was no way he could tell what the core was. But it felt right in his hands, just as much as his wand did. He noticed the initials L.E. engraved near the butt end. It must have belonged to his mother. Harry vaguely remembered hearing something about his mum having a willow wand. He slid it into the pocket on the pack designed specifically for a wand and closed that flap.

Taking the copies of the parchments that Remus handed to him, Harry slid them into the knapsack. He then asked, "Are we ready?"

Both Remus and Tonks nodded.

Harry closed up the box and pressed the call button on the intercom to signal the clerk that they were ready for him. After a moment, the clerk returned and they reversed the process and closed up the deposit vault. The clerk then led the way out into the lobby and after determining that they did not need any further help, left to help someone else.

"Remus?" asked Harry after they walked outside.

"Yes, Harry?" replied Remus.

"There was a book that was in there that I think Sirius has thought lost for good. Luckily for me it wasn't", said a grinning Harry.

"You mean it's the Guide?" asked Remus in disbelief. "I thought it was lost too. James was the last person to have seen it."

"Well it's been found and it's mine now. I'm looking forward to joining soon. Although I don't think it would be a good idea to register yet. Speaking of registering, Hermione found an unregistered insect animagus that we all are acquainted with. Goes by the name of Rita Skeeter. But please don't spread that around just yet. It's still useful information to me."

"I seem to remember reading that Ms. Skeeter disappeared and wasn't heard from until late last year. Around the time that your interview came out with her I think", said a smirking werewolf. "Enough about this for now. What would you like to do now Harry?"

"I thought I made that clear last night? I think The London Zoo is a very good idea. I'd like to see if that boa constrictor that I met right before I got my Hogwarts letter on Dudley's birthday is back there or not. I sorta accidentally let him out that day when I vanished the glass and when it reappeared, Dudley was behind the glass. I was a little shocked when I was able to speak to the snake, although it sounded like English to me. But then that's what Parseltongue sounds like when spoken, at least to the speaker and whoever is listening that speaks it" Harry said.

Remus said jovially, "Well then that's settled, let's go to the zoo!"

Tonks said surly, "As long as I don't have to listen to you speak it, I don't care. The zoo sounds great to me." She then laughed, "Maybe we'll see your cousin there among the wildlife."

Tonks got on the bike behind Remus, leaving Harry to ride rear pillion. Harry was a little nervous about this since it meant having to put his arms around Tonks. What if his hands went somewhere they weren't supposed to?

They arrived safely at the zoo with no incidents with the hands although Tonks gave Harry a look after which he turned bright red.

Still smirking she said, "So little Harry does like girls after all."

This was referring to a minor problem on the bike trip to the zoo when Tonks was shifting around on the seat and ended up rubbing against Harry. Understandably Harry had a normal reaction to this.

Entering the zoo, they each grabbed a map and Harry purchased a few disposable cameras. The boys, overruling Tonk's vocal objections, decided to visit the Reptile House first.

Upon entering the Reptile House, Harry made a beeline for the snakes. Taking a few pictures, he noticed that except for the three of them, it was basically deserted since it was a fairly hot summer day and still early in the morning. He spotted a Boa Constrictor display. It looked like the same snake but being a snake, it was hard to tell. Harry decided to take the chance and speak to it in Snake Language.

The sibilant sounds of Parseltongue issued from Harry's mouth as he asked, _Are you the same snake that I tried to set free several years ago?_

The snake nodded. _May I have your name since I did not think to get it before? _The snake hissed _my name is Sariss, Speaks-With-Snakes._

_What did you call me, Sariss?_ Asked Harry.

_Speaks-With-Snakes is a title of respect given to those humans who can speak our language. _Stated the snake. _What is your name youngling?_

_Harry Potter _Harry replied.

The snake said back, a_hh your name is known to me. All know of your defeat of the Great One. A pity that a firebird was a part of it. I wish I could leave here again, but freedom was overrated. I get all the food I want here._

Curious by what the snake meant, Harry asked _Who did you mean by the Great One? Did you mean Voldemort?_

The snake hissed _Nooo, the Great One is what you humans call a Basilisk._

_Thank you _Harry said.

_You're welcome _Sariss hissed back.

During the whole conversation, Remus looked both fascinated and repulsed at the same time. Tonks on the other hand, had her fingers plugging her ears and singing a Weird Sisters tune. Getting their attention, the three of them explored the rest of the Reptile house and then the rest of the Zoo. Harry got plenty of pictures and definitely several of a family of wild pigs that reminded him a lot of the Dursleys.

Grabbing an early supper of fish & chips, washed down with cold sodas, they planned what to do with the rest of the day since it was only 4 o'clock. A friendly argument started with Remus wanting to check out a museum, Tonks wanting to go shopping again, and Harry wanting to go back home and study the Animagus Guide. Moony quickly countered with a short stop by Mrs. Figg's before going home. Harry was all for it, not having seen Mrs. Figg since his trial.

Arriving at Mrs. Figg's house, they all piled up on the doorstep, with Harry knocking loudly on the door. A couple of the cats that were outside were hissing a bit at Remus. They seemed to smell the werewolf in him somehow. Arabella answered the door after a moment and invited them all in for tea and biscuits. After they were all inside, Harry gave her a hug and told her, "Thank you for all your help last year. I'm glad that you're on my side, although I wish you had told me sooner. I'd have been over lots more for tea instead of staying so much at home!"

Arabella laughed, "Harry, it was no problem. Your parents were good friends of mine and nobody should have to deal with a dementor, not even Dudley. But I still am irritated with Dung. He should have known better. He almost got you killed sneaking off like that!"

After spending some more time with Mrs. Figg and petting the numerous cats that came up demanding attention, Harry and Remus left on the motorcycle and proceeded back to Privet Drive while Tonks donned her invisibility cloak inside the house and then apparated back to the house, arriving there before the guys.

Harry and Remus went up to Harry's room to talk. Nobody else was in the house and there was a note on the table telling Harry that they had gone out to dinner and then the movies and to fix what he wanted for dinner, just make sure he cleaned up afterwards. While they were talking, Harry had Remus put a shrinking spell on his school trunk. Harry having already transferred the contents to his new seven lock trunk.

Remus sighed, "Harry, I have been thinking. The portkey sounds like the best but I'm not sure if Dumbledore would approve it. Taking you there on the motorcycle is our second option. I do have a question for you. What would you do if Dumbledore said no and the bike was not an option?"

Harry said instantly, "I'd wait until night and take the Knight Bus to Number 10 Grimmauld Place. I'd put my dad's invisibility cloak over me and my trunk. I'd then move to a safer spot out of the way and wait for a while to make sure that I wasn't followed by anybody. Once I'm sure of this, then I proceed to #12 and enter. Once I'm inside the boundaries of the wards it'll be easier, but I won't be safe until I'm inside and the door shut & locked."

Remus pulled his hand down over his face and said, "I was afraid you were going to say that. I expected it and it sounds like something Moody or your Dad would say. I do know that given that option, Dumbledore will have little choice."

Harry hugged Remus and asked him, "How long do you think it'll take me to learn to be an animagus? I don't think it'll take all year since the Marauders have so conveniently put together a comprehensive study guide that will accelerate the process. If Wormtail could become one, then I should not have any problem. I just wonder what animal I'll be. Maybe it'll be a magical creature. I know it's never been done but that doesn't mean it's impossible. If I didn't believe that the impossible was possible, then I'd have no hope of defeating Tom, now would I? Maybe my mum's wand will help."

Harry then showed the key to Remus and asked him if he had any idea what it might be for. Remus said it wasn't a Gringotts vault key. It seemed to have a portkey spell on it but the only people that might have done it were James or Lily due to where it was found. Harry said there might be some information in the letter that was in the box. He got it out and with somewhat shaky hands, started to read with Remus's hands on his shoulders providing comfort and support.

_Dear Harry,_

_If you're reading this, then most likely you are of age and neither James nor myself are among the living. If that has come to pass then times may be dark indeed. Before you were born there was a dark wizard named Voldemort who was terrorizing the British Wizarding World. Hopefully he has been defeated but I fear not. Enclosed in the box here are several valuable items, both to our family and the rest of the wizarding world. Some are merely items of a sentimental nature such as the baby booty that you wore at a christening party for Arthur and Molly's youngest child and only daughter. I remember it well. She was only two months old and we had put you both into the crib to play over at the Burrow. The two of you were playing so well when suddenly you started wailing and pulling at her. She had snitched your booty right off your foot and wouldn't let it go. Everything we did couldn't get it out of her hands. After a few minutes, you calmed down and patted the booty in her hand and pushed it towards her, like you were forgiving her for stealing your sock and giving it to her. Everyone thought it was adorable._

_Some of the stock certificates and the Evans property I inherited from my mother and grandmother. Others are ones that James and I purchased. James insisted purchasing the Grunnings stock, saying he was planning revenge for how my sister treated me after she found out I was a witch. One of the properties was my grandmother's summer home in Majorca._

_My diary is in there as well from before I started Hogwarts and is through when you were born. You or I can only open it, unless you have a baby sister or brother by now. I hope so, I always wanted a daughter. The Jewelry box was my mother's and has several valuable heirlooms in it, but James has a few things in there from his family. The sapphire pendant was my mother's and it was her wish that it eventually be given to Petunia. I've not had a chance to since she stopped speaking to me after meeting her fiancé Vernon. Your father is here now and wants to add a few words about his things. Just ignore any advice on Quidditch since I believe that you'll be a seeker not a chaser like him. _

_Harry, this is your father James now. There are a few items of mine and the Potter Family in here as well. The Animagus guide is by the Marauders. If you don't know everything about them already yet, they are: Remus is Moony, Sirius is Padfoot, I am Prongs, and Peter is Wormtail. If we're dead at Voldemort's hand since we're about to into hiding under the Fidelius Charm, then Peter has betrayed us, since he is our Secret Keeper, not Sirius as we originally planned. Sirius argued that he was too obvious a choice and as much as I love Remus as a brother, he is a werewolf and hence suspected by all others. _

_There are various spells notated down on parchment here that you may find useful. There is no definite way to block the killing curse but Lily seems to have come up with a possibility. The problem is being that the method used could be considered dark magic. Since the killing curse severs the link between body and soul, there might be a way to divert the soul into a container of some sort where it can afterwards be reattached to the body, assuming decay has not set in. Lily said and I quote "If Cellular Degradation has not progressed except minimally, then it may be possible to retrieve a captured soul and 'reattach' it to the body. Unfortunately the Ministry considers even this to be Necromancy and hence subject to the ban." There is also a possible cure for Lycanthropy but it is untested as of yet and it would be hard to get the werewolf to take as it has a couple of silver components and must be taken during the full moon._

_There is also a large key included, which is to be given to each Potter Heir upon reaching their majority. It is the key to Gryffindor Castle. Yes that means that you are the Heir of Gryffindor. At this point I'm not sure if it means you are bloodline heir or if a Potter had been named heir by the last of the Gryffindor line at one point. Some further research would need to be done in the Restricted Section of Hogwarts Library. Hopefully you know the way around the books screaming at you. If not I'll give the hint about looking at the map and giving it the password, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good in the Library' with the map already active. You will know the password to get around the charm that makes them shriek. End it with 'Library Finite" then wipe the map as normal to reset it. Oh, I almost forgot. The key is a portkey that was setup by Godric himself and the password is the same as the Marauder's Map oddly enough. I get the feeling that the founder might have been the original Hogwarts Marauder. _

_All of our Love,_

_Mum & Dad_

Harry was in tears and shock by the end of the letter and so was Moony. To Remus it was like Lily and James had come back to life if only for a short while. Not to mention the revelation that there was a possible cure for his disease.

Author's Note: If the invisibility cloak was big enough to fit both Harry and Ron under it, it should be able to carry Harry and the trunk, especially since the trunk doesn't have big feet like Ron. I'm not positive exactly what the age difference between Harry and Ginny is at the moment but I'm assuming it's just over a year since Ginny's birthday is only 11 days after Harry's. Besides it makes for good foreshadowing ï the werewolf cure was untested since it is a concoction of Lily's based on her research in both the wizarding and muggle worlds and the wolfsbane potion had not been in use at the time.

Next Chapter: Remus Talks to Dumbledore, Harry deals with his magical signatures (there are two in his case. 1 is that they monitor #4 privet drive religiously and 2 each wand has a distinctive signature. Both require different methods of dealing with it. Harry considers revising the Deal. Does he give the Majorca Property to Petunia or not?

Parseltongue and thoughts are done in italics for clarity

Thanks again to HermioneGreen for Betaing the story!

Reviews are always appreciated and the more the merrier!


	4. Chapter Four

**CHAPTER FOUR**

After rummaging through the refrigerator and making him himself a sandwich and small salad, Harry grabbed a couple of cans of soda and headed upstairs to check out some of the items that he acquired at the bank. Specifically, he wanted to know how to mask his signature. Harry did not want to go through another trial like the last one. He wondered if it was a dark spell though. After some consideration, he doubted it, but figured it could be used for dark purposes and was doubtless quite illegal. Harry reflected, _even the tickling charm has a possibility to be a dark arts spell if it's held on too much. Death by tickling? Sounds ridiculous, but it's possible. Although I can't quite see Tom using it as a method of torture. He goes more for the Cruciatius._

Looking over his dad's parchment notes, he noticed that the mask was in two parts. One part was a potion that required the wizard to soak his wand in it that would temporarily counter the signature coming from the wand itself. The second was a spell that blurred the signature. Harry did notice that while the charm was more or less permanent. His dad's notes did say that while it was possible to mask the signature from wide area charms similar and including the ones used by the Improper Use of Magic Office. He did say that the wand scanner used at the entrance of the Ministry of Magic would still pick up the signature with no trouble since it scanned at such a close range. As Harry read the list of ingredients, he noticed that he had everything on the list, since Snape insisted on a complete potions kit containing the ingredients needed for your current year and any previous years as well. The time needed for the potion was surprisingly short, only being an hour including prep time, brewing, and the soak. The soak actually took the least amount at a length of ten minutes.

Harry got started on the potion and while it was brewing, checked out his next favorite new item, the Animagus Guide. When he opened the book though, all the pages appeared to be blank. Since it was an artifact created by the Marauders, Harry considered the fact that the password may be the same.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Harry uttered with anticipation.

His eyes lit up as words appeared on the first page.

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

_Are proud to present_

_The Animagus Guide_

_This guide was created as an aide to becoming an Animagus._

_We originally became Animagi to help Moony in his monthly times of need. In here you will find not only detailed instructions and various aides to finding your inner animal. The back cover that looks like a mirror will act as an Animagus Mirror when activated to show you what your form will be. It is said that Godric Gryffindor was able to achieve two forms. No other multi-animagus have been found or at least were recorded or registered. Many Animagi are unregistered and there is no way to tell what the numbers are._

_Please record your full name into the guide so your experiences can be added to the guide to further refine it._

At this point Harry could not wait to get started and grabbed a pen from his desk, since the quills and ink were still inside his trunk.

He wrote, _Harry James Potter, son of Prongs._

_Welcome Pronglet and prepare to become one step closer to being a Marauder. Your questions and responses can be entered into the Guide either written or verbally._

"Ok then guys, we'll continue shortly, I've got some work to do around here then we'll continue." Harry said and then closed the book without deactivating it.

Harry turned his attention back to the potion. It appeared to be ready. The color and smell were correct and the proper time had elapsed, leaving only the steeping of the wand in the solution. Harry dropped his wand into the vial and waited the ten minutes. He noticed that skin contact should be avoided in the instructions. Using some chopsticks that he had found downstairs leftover from whenever the Dursley's had last had Chinese takeout as tongs, he fished his wand out.

Harry was going to pat his wand dry with one of Dudley's old castoff shirts he kept around as a cleaning rag, when he noticed that the wand had seemed to absorb any residue left and was now bone dry.

Holding his wand with the tip pointed towards himself, he chanted the incantation required by the final step. The wand gave off a rainbow shower of sparks which left Harry with a strange tingling feeling all over that faded after a moment,

Harry mused as he mentally prepared himself for the final test. _Here goes everything. If this doesn't work, I'm going to get a "letter" and that'll basically seal my fate at Hogwarts. Although I would say that now knowing the prophecy as I do, Dumbledore will do everything in his power to keep me there, one way or another. _

Waving his wand in the proper movements, Harry cast a simple _Evanesco_ spell on the cauldron and vial, disposing of the incriminating evidence neatly.

Almost holding his breath, Harry waited for the Ministry Owl to appear with his letter damning him for his underage use of magic. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes stretched out to an hour. At that point, Harry felt fairly confident that there was no owl coming to seal his fate.

Reopening the Guide, Harry said, "Hey guys, I'm back and ready to begin."

Harry was then presented with a list of reference material that was used, all of which was available to him, either thru his various textbooks or books that he had purchased recently. He was also given several exercises to complete. The exercises included growing the fingernails out and back and changing his hair color and length. The time length stated for this initial stage as stated by the Guide could take up to a month to achieve.

Harry was both chagrined and elated when it only took him mere hours to complete all the exercises. _Am I destined to never be normal in anything? _Harry thought. _At least there are some advantages though._

Harry had been able to get his hair to change its length from normal to that of a crew cut to as long as his waist as well as various colors such as brown, blonde, silver, and redhead. He decided to leave it about a quarter of the way down his back in his normal black color and tied it back with a strip of leather.

He decided to check further into the guide to see what else he could accomplish that night, even though it was going on eleven o'clock in the evening. The next exercise was to find his animal with the mirror. Harry studied the instructions on how to activate the mirror and open himself to it. The manual did say that he would change into the creature temporarily as it appeared in the mirror. That first change would be quite painful due to the imprinting, but all subsequent changes would not.

Harry cast a silencing spell on the room before he began so his cries would not be heard and his minders summoned.

Staring at the mirror, Harry concentrated on his breathing, slowing it and emptying his mind of thoughts other than that of the animagus mirror in front of him. Taking a deep breath and then holding it for a count of two and then letting it fully out, he repeated this beginning meditation several times until his only thoughts were on the mirror and his breathing was very shallow.

Harry reflection disappeared in the mirror and a dark misty cloud appeared. Harry waited with anticipation what animal would appear.

The Mist slowly cleared with three animals actually appearing then disappearing one by one. After the disappearance of the third, all three came back with two of them resting on top of the largest.

The first to appear was a phoenix, although the coloring was different than what he saw on Fawkes. The bird was snowy white except for the tips of the feathers which was a riotous pattern of blues, reds, and yellows. There was a black mark on his crest, which was in the same location as his scar, although luckily it wasn't lightning shaped.

The phoenix looked at Harry and spread it's wings in greetings. As it did so, a tremendous agony came over him similar to the Cruciatus but not quite as intense as he transformed in to the magnificent bird and then back.

The second animal was a wolf whose fur was a shaggy black with a white patch where his scar would be. Unfortunately this one was the same shape as his scar.

The wolf looked at Harry and its tongue lolled out of its mouth in an expression that he'd seen numerous times on Sirius. Again came the pain as the process repeated itself, although not as bad as the first time.

The last creature shocked and unnerved Harry when it appeared. It was almost a duplicate of the boa constrictor that he had seen at the zoo all those years ago except for a pattern of scales in a certain design. The snake appeared to be about ten feet long but it was hard to tell in the mirror.

The snake coiled itself in the shape of a "P" and looked at him, the tongue flickering in and out. The pain was even less than before.

In the mirror now was shown all three forms. The wolf was standing at attention with the phoenix on its back its wings outspread. The boa was curled around the wolf in a circle and its head was raised up underneath the wolf's. After a moment, they all disappeared and Harry saw his reflection in the mirror again.

Stunned by what he had seen, it took him a few minutes to collect himself. He was hoping for the wolf and was awed by the phoenix. Harry was not prepared for the snake though. After thinking about it though, he understood. The snake was one of his first positive introductions to the magical world, especially after Dudders got trapped behind the glass. That scene was as well etched into his memory as that of Draco, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret. Speaking of which, Harry resolved to figure out how Barty Crouch (masquerading as the false Moody) had done that. It was time Draco remembered what he really was.

Smiling to himself, Harry set down at his desk and pulled out a quill and parchment to write a few letters, the first couple going to the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler, the others going to various Weasleys and Hermione. After he was finished he folded them up and tried to give them to Hedwig. It took a while since she was a little agitated having been the only witness to his transformations. Before she left though, Harry asked her to wait and let him cast a disguise spell on her since she was so noticeable. The only thing that could be seen leaving his window that night was a nondescript brown owl.

Remembering something, Harry pulled the key that was in the safe deposit box that his father had left him and wondered what it was for. Shrugging, he grasped the key firmly and said those memorable words and felt that tugging behind his navel that he hated so much.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Remus has arrived at Hogwarts to confront Dumbledore, armed with the necessary documents and the iron will acquired during his month battles with his lupine alter ego.

Knocking on the door to the Headmaster's office, Remus heard the headmaster utter his permission to enter.

"Remus, how good to see you, although unexpected. Is everything all right with young Harry?" asked Dumbledore.

"Everything is fine with Harry and keeps looking better, at least for him. He and I have been to the reading of Sirius' will and found out a few things. Also Vernon and Harry have come to an agreement where Harry is to spend his time at Grimmauld Place except for two weeks each year during the summer."

Albus started to object at this point, but Remus just talked over him, his eyes boring into his.

"They came to this decision amicably and it is binding. Vernon and Petunia Dursley are his guardians, not you Albus and it was their choice to allow this. There is nothing you can do about it."

Remus handed Dumbledore the contract between Vernon and Harry.

At this the headmaster visibly wilted and sat back down in his chair and hung his head.

"Does Harry hate me so much then?" asked Albus.

"No" Remus replied, "Harry does not hate you but he and I both agree that you are prone to withholding vital information from him and treating him as a child. Harry never had a childhood and never really was a child to begin with after Lily and James died. Not providing information in a timely manner can have disastrous consequences for us all. I am perfectly aware that the destruction of the sphere in the Ministry does not destroy the Prophecy, only their recording of it. It definitely has to involve Harry and Voldemort and a way for one or the other to win. Otherwise, Voldemort wouldn't have been so adamant about retrieving it."

"Now back to business. Harry is going to go to Grimmauld Place next week whether or not you assist. But your assistance would be greatly appreciated, such as a portkey."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "I shall do ask you ask. I will provide a portkey to Headquarters to you for Harry. It will be set to go off promptly at noon on Monday".

With Remus's eyes still on him, he created the portkey from a Prefect Badge that was sitting on his desk. It had been retrieved from the student after his actions last school year.

"Remus, I will need that particular badge back afterwards. Professor Snape has not yet selected his new prefect from among the new sixth years."

**To Be Continued…**

_Author's __No__te:_

_So I've finally shown which forms I think Harry should have. He shouldn't have to have just a single form. One cause he is Harry and nothing normal ever happens to him and they all express certain sides of his complex personality. The phoenix is his is dedication to the side of light, the wolf is his loyalty, and the snake of course is his Slytherin side showing through. _

_The letters will show up in the next chapter. I'll be nice and give a hint or two. Harry is a little ticked at the fickle wizarding world and has good reason to be. The medium that they seem to listen to the most is the news such as the Daily Prophet and less so the Quibbler. Of course gossip is huge too, but even that has to get its information from somewhere. Until next time…_

_And let I not forget the standard plea for reviews? It's what us amateur authors live for since you wont seem to send me any money!_


	5. Chapter Five

The next day a letter was received by the Prophet by the senior manager in charge.

_July 21st, 1996_

_To the Editors of the Daily Prophet:_

_I am formally requesting that any and all articles published in regards to me be cleared through me directly or my designated correspondent. This person shall be Remus J. Lupin. I do not appreciate the lies that have been printed about me. I am considering retaining council against the Prophet for the irreparable damage to my reputation. Also since you seem to have forgotten, my parents were shareholders in the Prophet and those shares have passed to me. I suggest you check your records on the size of those shares. The muggles have an appropriate saying in this case. Do not bite the hand that owns you. A rabid dog that bites its owner must be dealt with and sometimes harshly. Remember this._

_At this time, my only interviews are still the exclusive domain of the Quibbler, since it is the only publication I trust to print what I actually say or do, their proclivity for other unorthodox articles not withstanding._

_A Sincerely Upset Stockholder,_

_Harry James Potter._

_P.S._

_This letter is for your perusal and records, not for publication. This I so state. To do so will be a breach of confidentiality between company and stockholder and would be brought to the attention of the Ministry if said violation occurs._

A letter was also received by the Quibbler but under a different name since Harry wanted to give a general wakeup call to the wizarding world and make them think. If he had done it under his own name, it would not have the same effect. This letter actually was printed on the front page of the next issue of the Quibbler.

_July 21st, 1996_

_Dear Editor,_

_I am sending this to the Quibbler since it actually prints the truth as proved by Rita Skeeter's interview with Harry Potter. I've been reading the Prophet a lot recently and going back through its past issues. I came across some interesting information. Voldemort arose but there is no information published about what or who he was before he came to power originally. I had heard that the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore, calls him Tom. That is more of a muggle name than anything else and I've not heard anything save that the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters have nothing but hatred for all things muggle. So why does he have that name then? Curious, I went through the extensive library at Hogwarts with this in mind. The information obtained was shocking and it can be verified through Ministry and Hogwarts records. The Dark Lord's true name is Tom Marvolo Riddle and is a half-blood. His mother was a witch and his father was a muggle named Tom Riddle. He was raised in a muggle orphanage after his father learned his mother was a witch, even though she was an extremely loyal and loving wife. He attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin and graduated with distinctions, including being Head Boy. His so-called name "Lord Voldemort" is nothing more than an anagram of his muggle name. What this means is that he rearranged the letters of Tom Marvolo Riddle to spell out new words. In this case they were rearranged to spell out "I am Lord Voldemort". Professor Dumbledore himself says that there is nothing to fear in just a name. Nobody is afraid to say the names of other evil such as Morgana or Grinndewald._

_There is not a way for me to even start guessing why he does what he does. But the biggest question is "Why do his Death Eaters follow him if he's part Muggle himself?" Hopefully this gets a few of them to thinking instead of hiding underneath his robe._

_Speaking of hiding, Death Eaters I guess actually must be cowards, since they hide behind the masks and cloaks. I actually think that there is a connection there between what they do and what some muggles in the United States do. That group calls itself the KKK and also commits acts of terrorism in the name of racial superiority. They also hide behind masks and costumes. _

_There are no racial differences between Muggles and Wizards/Witches. The only actual differences are in the cultures and of course the lack of magic in Muggles. Although it is possible that the ability to do magic is present in all but only accessible to few except under certain circumstances. I would explain further but that would require knowledge of a Muggle field of study called genetics dealing with recessive genes. How else can Muggle-born Wizards or Witches be explained? If the readers want, I will endeavor to try and explain this more in depth in a later letter or article._

_The Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, was notified of Voldemort's return for over a year now and nothing appears to have been done to help protect us from him. In fact, Minister Fudge denied all claims that You-Know-Who had returned, insisted Harry Potter was insane, removed Headmaster Dumbledore, provided his replacement who had been responsible for Mr. Potter's assault by Dementors no less. One wonders if she was not encouraged by a higher up to do so even. Minister Fudge only admitted to You-Know-Who's returned when he attacked the Ministry recently, where he was countered by Harry Potter and his companions, as well as the Headmaster. During this attack it was revealed that Lucius Malfoy, a long-time acquaintance of the Minister and campaign contributor is a Death Eater. Not being a member of the ministry myself, I do not know the results of his interrogation, but one does wonder why he tried so hard and spent so much money trying to keep Minister Fudge in office. I call out to you to write to the Ministry, demanding an investigation into the activities of the Minister._

_A concerned wizard,_

JARRET E MARSHYPOT 

Reactions to the letter in the Quibbler varied from astonishment to rage. Although whether the rage was from the revelation of the truth or the insults in it depended on which way the person had leanings towards, light or dark. Many owls were sent to Ministry in complaint and fear. An entire room was filled with letters either asking Madam Bones to find out if Fudge was a death eater or not, or to the Minister himself, calling for his immediate resignation.

Voldemort's reaction was predictable enough.

Intense rage that had him reduced to incoherency while he tortured his death eaters to burn some of it off. He really didn't like being reminded of his muggle background. In his anger, he failed to notice the looks he was being given by some of his followers.

Dare I even say what the idiot Fudge did? After swearing for a while, he contacted Dumbledore and screamed at him for a while and demanding to know what he knew about this article. Lucky for the Minister, he's not read any of the letters...yet.

Dumbledore calmly told him that yes he quite often told students that there was nothing to fear in a name but there was no student attending Hogwarts by that name and that it must be an assumed name and that no he had no idea who it might be.

Dumbledore really had no idea who it actually was but the list of suspects was very short if it was an actual student and not an alumni. He did not add Harry's name to the list though figuring that he would not even consider doing something like this. It was much too Slytherin in nature.


	6. Chapter Six

**Remembering something, Harry pulled the key that was in the safe deposit box that his father had left him and wondered where it was to. Shrugging, he grasped the key firmly and said those memorable words and felt that tugging behind his navel that he hated so much**.

It took a few seconds for Harry's eyes to adjust to the change in light as it was quite dark. The only illumination was that of the stars and the three-quarter moon shining above him. Harry noticed that he could see quite well in the dark, chalking it up to a crossover of his new animagus forms.

Before him was a large set of double doors about 10 feet wide in total, made from wide pieces of oak and bound with thick bands of black iron. The hinges were black iron as well. In the center where the doors met at about shoulder height was a golden door knocker in the shape of a large head of a griffin. The mouth was wide open and there appeared to be a keyhole there that looked like it would fit the key in Harry's hand. The rest of the building was shrouded in shadows, even to Harry's enhanced sight.

Mustering up the vaunted Gryffindor courage, Harry took the key and inserted it into the lock and gave it a twist. Suddenly the mouth closed around his hand and he got the funniest feeling that it was tasting him, yet he felt no pain. Just as quickly as it snapped shut, the griffin's mouth sprang open and Harry heard a distinctly audible click as the doors unlocked. Harry took a hurried step back, pulling his hand free, as the doors started to swing outward silently, apparently on their own accord. Harry quickly checked his hand and was gratified to see that there were no puncture marks.

A little unnerved by the hand-eating griffin, Harry cautiously entered the large house, the unnatural shadows having disappeared. Upon his entrance, he noticed that he was in some sort of massive foyer with a golden pedestal in the middle that looked very much out of place there. On top of said pedestal there were three items. One was an aged vellum scroll tied with a crimson ribbon with golden tassels with _For Harry Potter_ written on it. The second was a smallish blue velvet jewelry box. The third item appeared to be an old piece of parchment with some lines and words on it but he couldn't make it out from over by the doors. Harry noticed that there were two exits from the room and a smaller room between the doors with a glass window in it that appeared to be a mud room. On the north wall there was a large colorful tapestry depicting the Gryffindor family crest.

Not knowing what to expect, Harry approached the scroll with great trepidation. Picking it up and untying the ribbon, Harry began reading.

_Dear Harry,_

_If you are reading this then the worst has come to pass. Your parents and or guardians are no longer among the living and you are here before your seventeenth birthday. My condolences on the first and good for you on the second. We have always had troublemakers in the family line starting with me. If you haven't guessed who I am by now, my name is Godric Gryffindor and you are my last living heir. No, I'm not writing this before I died, my portraits hang not only here but in Hogwarts of course so I know some of your exploits. Yes I know there are no visible portraits of me but trust me, there are some and paintings do talk to each other. I expect more snogging with girls from you in the future as well as lots more pranks, especially on the Slytherins. There was a friendly rivalry between Salazar and myself – scratch that, it was a never-ending prank war. Never did we hate each other though, but see eye to eye on every issue we did not. _

_There currently are not as many house elves residing here as before at my manor which is now yours by right. There is need for two more and preferably free since all the rest are. The elves continue to serve out of familial pride now. They have all been adopted into our house. You will find that is a loophole regarding them, it's very easy to offer them clothes, especially by accident as Mister Malfoy found out the hard way, but if offered adoption into a loving household, then that can't happen. Wizarding laws do not allow for this but all it takes is a wizard's oath by the head of household for it to take effect. If the household is kind, then the elves will not wish to leave and serve even more willingly. Something done out of love has more effect than that out of obligation or coercion. This I can not stress enough. The head house elf is named Mister Tibbles._

_You may be concerned about being found here. Let me set your fears to rest. The manor is under a spell that is the forerunner of the Fidelius Charm and is more powerful. Actually the Fidelius is a variation of this spell to be accurate. The secret-keeper is the manor itself which being magical has imbued with some sentience, similar to dear Hogwarts herself, which holds secrets not even known by the Headmaster yet accessible only to the heirs. This is why the spell was very seldom used and the Fidelius was developed since a sentient residence is very rare indeed. The lord of the manor who is the eldest male heir (yourself in this case), though has the ability to share the secret with others. Unlike the Fidelius though, the secret can be revoked by the heir in case of emergencies. This should not be taken lightly since the effects may be farther reaching than one may expect. unlike the Fidelius, ones other than the secret-keeper can not reveal information about it, verbally or written unless they are an heir. Since it is revocable, when a person is told the secret, his or her name appears on a scroll that is located in a hidden safe in the muggle room that does not appear on the map(the location of the safe that is). It is located in the floor underneath the bookcase in the southeast corner. The bookcase will swing out after you unlock it by using your key in the keyhole located behind the painting of the Dogs Playing Poker. You then need to rotate the torch held by the Statue of Liberty one hundred-eighty degrees clockwise to open the false stone beneath which the safe is hidden. It is a charmed muggle safe so that unlocking charms will not work on it and most other spells will have no effect either. The combination is six to the right, twenty-six to the left, nine to the right, twenty-seven to the left, one to the right, and nineteen to the left. _

_The other objects on the pedestal you will find useful and somewhat familiar. The first is a magical map of the manor and it's surrounding grounds. Your father and his Marauders used this map as the basis of the infamous Marauder's Map (which since I was not consulted on it, could still use a few improvements). It is activated in the same way (where do you think he got it from?) The other object is a necklace with several charms and some magical charms on them. The necklace itself is normal. They are also a series of portkeys that you can set for a total of three more destinations for a total of five. The two permanent ones are here and my room at Hogwarts (which you have yet to see – I know this cause I've got a portrait there as well. That is the room that the Marauders used for the headquarters and every other prankster to come out of this family. Your great-great-grandfather was even worse than your father if you can believe that.) The instructions for programming the portkey are simple. Touch the key to the appropriate charm on the necklace and while visualizing the location, speak the keyword you wish to use for that destination. To activate the portkey, hold the charm and speak the keyword. The preset keywords are Hogwarts and Home. Which charms those are linked to should be obvious._

_To tell you a little about the manor itself, there are several special rooms in it. The first I want to mention is the Quidditch room, which is where all the Quidditch memorabilia is kept, including the broom workshop area. There are both a private laboratory and library attached to the Master suites. I don't know if you have encountered it yet, but the Room of Requirement that can be found in Hogwarts has its predecessor here. The biggest difference is that Time can also be affected in that room, unlike the version which is located at Hogwarts (that particular part was left out of the Hogwarts version due to accessibility by students). Time can be slowed to the point where either a day passes inside while only less than four minutes passes outside, or a day passes for every hour. I DO WARN YOU THOUGH. Unless some sort of potion for age retardation is taken before entering while using the time dilation effects, you will age and it is permanent._

_The final room I want to mention since you were raised by Muggles and your great-great-grandmother insisted on converting this room to that use, is there is a room devoted to Muggle recreational activities and like the Muggle Studies Room in Hogwarts, it is a null area for magic. That does not mean that spells will not work in there, it just means that the ambient magic surrounding it will not affect items inside that room. Unfortunately that means it is the most dangerous room in the manor since it basically is a hole in the sensory net (although luckily not in the security net). _

_Since Occlumency is needed to be learned by you, there is a primer on it in your private library. How to access the library can be found on the map. It will take time to learn it well enough and the room of requirement can be a useful training tool. In fact, the techniques used in the book will help you in other areas as well. There is also a family Pensieve in your library as well that has memories from almost all of my heirs and myself of course. It is a little on the large side though._

_Good Luck and Have fun Pranking,_

_Godric_

Wiping away the tears that had formed in his eyes while reading the letter, Harry tucked the scroll into his knapsack. He then picked up the jewelry box and looked inside. What he found was a gold box chain necklace about 30 inches long and five golden charms attached to it. The first was one that looked like an exact replica of Hogwarts. The second was a rampant griffin. The other three were realistically carved animals as well. One was a phoenix, another a raven, and the last was a badger. Harry slipped the necklace on and under his shirt, resting it against his bare skin.

Taking the map, Harry rolled it up and stuck it in his pocket to look at later.

Taking a deep breath, Harry said firmly, "Mr. Tibbles." If the house elf was anywhere nearby, he would hear that appear.

With a pop Harry had become accustomed to hearing being around Dobby so much, a house elf appeared in front of him. The elf was dressed in dark blue pajamas and a royal blue dressing gown. He was carrying a book titled "Infinity Loves Careful Drivers". Harry thought, _he definitely has better taste in clothing than Dobby, that is for sure._

"Master Potter, I presume? How may I help you at this late hour?" inquired Mr. Tibbles.

"Thank you very much for appearing so quickly. The letter said that there was a book for me on Occlumency in my library and I wanted to ask you a favor." said Harry.

"I would be happy to get that book for you and what is that favor Master Harry?" asked Mr. Tibbles.

"Would you please see if Dobby and Winky who are at Hogwarts would come work for us at your convenience." stated Harry.

"It would be my pleasure Master Harry." said the house elf and with a snap of his fingers, disappeared only to reappear a moment later with a large thick book and a much thinner book as well. Handing them to Harry, he pops back out, presumably either back to bed or to talk to Dobby and Winky.

Putting the key in his trousers pocket, Harry pulls the map out and looks at it for where he is in relation to the Room of Requirement.

_Okay then, I'll need the right-hand door out of here, down the corridor, passing first the intersection on my left, then one on my right, the hallway will jog left then make a right and then a left and it will be my first door on the right. In fact it should be the only door in that hallway. I see the other book he gave me is a guidebook to the room. Since I want to learn Occlumency as quickly as I can before going back to the Dursleys, I better use the time function on the room. I can probably practice my dueling as well. Staying in the room for two months should be long enough at least for the basics. Then I can go back and it should only be about five in the morning. Although whether I will use the portkey or fly back I am not sure. _Harry mused as he pondered the map.

Remembering something, Harry pulled out the key and while thinking hard about his room back at the Dursleys, he touched the key to the Badger charm and said "Prison". Harry also set the Phoenix to "The Burrow" where he would appear in the kitchen.

Opening the door, Harry saw a long corridor with white plastered walls, a fifteen-foot tall vaulted ceiling, and thick red carpeting under foot. Instead of walking, Harry decides to shift to wolf form and lope down the corridors to the room.

On arriving at the room, Harry changes back and sees a plain oaken door with iron hinges and door handle and lock. Trying the door he finds it locked. Quickly inserting his key into the lock, Harry finds it fits and turns. Upon opening it, he finds a replica of the Gryffindor common room with a large bowl of crisps and a frosty mug of butterbeer on an end table near his favorite stuffed chair. On the mantle of the fireplace, there are two hourglasses, one smaller than the other. Both of them are glowing an electric blue at the moment.

Examining the manual, Harry discovers that yes, the two hourglasses control the time dilation affects with the larger one giving the one-day to one-hour ratio. Harry turns the smaller of the two hourglasses over and the hourglass starts glowing a bright orange as the sands begin to drip downwards. Two sets of numbers appear above it, similar to a muggle digital clock display. The left set of numbers was moving normally, counting up from zero by seconds, while the right set was not appearing to move. The manual said that the right-hand display was the outside world time.

Harry settled down for a nap on the couch since he had not had any sleep yet and it was after midnight real-time.

_Author's Note: I wanted to just clarify when this is if I have not before. Currently it is after midnight on Sunday July 27th. (This should match up with the year 1997 correctly for Harry's 6th year if I figured it correctly) Yes, Harry will do more Fudge Bashing as his alter ego. B.T.W. did anyone catch the reference to a Marvel character in chapter 2?_


	7. Chapter Seven

_Authors Note: If anybody wants, I may create a yahoo group to post this story at as well. I have got the floor plans of the manor scanned and I might do an R or NC-17 outtake of the bathroom scene with Ginny if I get requests for it. Harry does have some clue what girls look like and he has seen Gred and Forge's dirty magazines too. Let us not forget the page three girls that Dudley was always drooling over. _ _Can anybody name the author of Mr. Tibbles' book and the name of the TV series it was based from? I am also taking suggestions for Harry's Marauder nickname. I think that the wolf form will be the one shows the most if only because he wants to keep the phoenix and the snake secret as long as possible although he will use the phoenix form, just will try his hardest not to get caught changing._ Chapter Seven 

Harry settled down for a nap on the couch since he had not had any sleep yet and it was after midnight real-time.

After a series of nightmares involving either Sirius or Cedric and of course our dear friend Tom, Harry drifted into a more normal dream for a teenage boy. This one consisted of sequences of various girls in a range of states of undress. One part was back at the Yule ball with Parvati but instead of wearing her gown, she was wearing lingerie while trying to get him to dance. Another was one of a naked Hermione chasing him around the boy's dormitory with a bottle of chocolate sauce and a copy of the Kama Sutra and yelling "But it was assigned as homework!" The strangest section and the one that would have greatly disturbed Harry had he remembered that part after waking was when he was eating dinner in the Great Hall, Pansy Parkinson came over and sat down in his lap and making comments such as she really liked playing with large snakes. The only one Harry actually ended up remembering though, although the Hermione sequence was still there fuzzily, was where after waking up in the Burrow in Ron's room, he goes to the bathroom to relieve himself and catches a full frontal view of Ginny right after she steps out of the shower, before she can grab her towel off the rack. After these dreams, he settles into a deeper sleep.

Waking up and blinking sleep out of his eyes, Harry wonders to himself and blushes as he remembers the last bit of the dream with Ginny. _Too bad that was not real_, Harry thinks.

Glancing at the clock, Harry sees that about nine hours have elapsed inside the room and consequently, he was very hungry.

Harry closed his eyes and imagined that he needed a large breakfast of tea, orange juice, griddlecakes, and bangers sitting on the table. Opening his eyes he could see exactly what he asked for and it smelled delicious. Sitting down and opening the book on Occlumency, he started reading while eating. Harry noticed that the title of the book was called "Hiding the Mind's Eye, A Primer On Occlumency and Legilimency by Rasputin Mesmer".

(Here's are some excerpts from the book that Harry is reading)

_One of the best ways to thwart an initial attack is to clear one's thoughts. This can be accomplished by several methods. One popular method, although limited in potential is to enter a trance-like state through meditation where you are one with the moment. "Be One with the Void" was a saying that my meditation teacher liked to use._

_A better method is to "collect" your extraneous thoughts, those thoughts being any that are currently outside of your mental fortress, and bring them inside to whichever location you need or want and "shut" your gates. _

_Your mental fortress. It is the secret to both a defense against mental attacks; it also improves memory retention to an almost total recall and enhances other cognitive functions. This technique which will be explained further, was first used by Muggles who were relying solely on the spoken word, most of them being illiterate at that time. It was a method of organizing your thoughts into a familiar structure such as a cathedral, a castle, or other such structure. All your knowledge was divided into rooms or areas. For example, a knight would recall information about sword-fighting by looking in a particular part of his castle such as the area where the swords were kept in his armory. It was found that when this technique was used by wizards though, that it was effective against Legilimency. This technique is best effective if taught at a young age, when the mind is the most malleable._

Harry decided to use Hogwarts as his model structure.

Slowly over the next two weeks, Harry painstakingly sorted through his thoughts, sometimes painfully. The most painful memories of course were that of Sirius' and Cedric's deaths. Next in line were the memories of how he was treated by his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Those took the longest to sort through since there were so many bad memories that he had tried hard to forget. During those recollections, he began to see the odd things that had happened to him that made him a wizard and possibly signs of his animagus abilities coming out to protect him at such tender ages.

Harry remembered getting hurt and going to sleep crying, his tears washing over his injuries and waking up with them healed. That sounded like his Phoenix form coming out. Popping to the top of the school he could not quite figure out. It did not feel like apparition, which he had also been working on and perfected during this time. Harry was even able to mask the crack you heard when the air was displaced. There had been several books on how to apparate in the Library, which appeared when he wanted it to. Lucky for Harry it was the library that showed up like when he was doing the D.A., instead of the Hogwarts library. Harry did not fancy having the books scream at him when he tried to open them since apparating would be in the restricted section, being only for adult wizards. Harry wondered about the magic house elves had and how they could move through wards even as strong as the ones on the Dursleys' house and Hogwarts, having witnessed Dobby do both. He resolved to ask either Dobby or Mr. Tibbles about it. Maybe they would be able to teach him something.

Practicing dueling was also a necessity for Harry and he became better and better. Harry let the room conjure up training dummies for him to practice on and reflecting walls that let him practice his offense and defense. With his newfound skills in retention, comprehension, Harry quickly became a speed-reading demon. He devoured the section in the library on dueling with a passion. Remembering Dumbledore's duel with Voldemort in the Ministry and how he was transfiguring objects into obstacles and shields that deflected the killing curse even. Harry noticed that the results of the killing curse were different on inanimate objects than living creatures. He had seen the results of what happened when it was used on an animal or a person. But it seemed to have results similar to a Reductor curse when it met a non-living object such as a statue. The question was why. Harry filed that away for future discussion with Hermione and knowing her, research in the library.

Harry's two weeks nearly up, he sits down and writes a few letters. The first is to Remus thanking him for everything he has done and that Harry will have a surprise for him when he sees him next. The second letter was to the Weasleys, care of Molly and Arthur, inviting them to Grimmauld Place for his birthday, if they were not there already. If they were, he confirmed their welcome to his home. One of the hardest letters to write was to Ginny herself, telling her how his summer is going so far (what he can tell her that is) and that she was in one of his dreams and no, Tom was not in it, but if she wanted details about it, she'd have to ask him in person. To Ron, he writes about his summer as well and inquires about the Cannons and what Ron would do if Victor was traded to the Cannons. He also said that there was a surprise he had for Ron and something to tell him when Harry could get everyone together, including Ginny, Neville, and Luna. He wrote a letter to Neville wishing him a Happy Birthday and inviting him to his house for his birthday with transportation to be arranged. Luna was getting a letter thanking her and inviting her to his birthday as well and asking for a subscription to the Quibbler and to ask her dad if he would run an interview again by Skeeter. The last letter was the second hardest to write and was to be sent to the Quibbler again by Mr. Marshypot. This one though was blasting Fudge and his policies more.

Harry was determined to get Cornelius Fudge out of office. He wanted somebody competent and firmly on the side of the light. Which most likely meant a member of the Order. Harry mentally ran over a list of possibilities. Struck immediately from the list were Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. Harry hated to admit it, but the Headmaster was right in the fact that he was better suited as Headmaster, rather than Minister. Snape on the other hand, was Snape. Enough said and the least said the better. Harry also removed Mrs. Figg as a candidate because she is a squib, no slight intended. Mr. Weasley was almost struck from the list. Harry trusted the man with his life and more, but fact was Arthur had no ambition to rise beyond the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department, being too enchanted with it. Although if push came to shove, he might rise to the challenge. He fought in the first Dark War and survived. Mundungus Fletcher was immediately scratched. Putting a shifty thief like him in charge would be giving a kid the key to a sweets shop and giving him free rein.

Harry went down the list of names that he knew of and added Madam Bones to the list. Harry was not sure if she was a member of the Order or not but he trusted her to be fair and she did stand up for him against Fudge. Of all the names on the list, hers was the one that stood out the most in his mind.

It was about two in the afternoon in the room, when Harry decided to come out of the Room of Requirement. Before leaving, he checked the outside clock and saw just under three hours had elapsed. Harry then turned the hourglass back over and it turned back from orange to blue, meaning it was safe to leave the room at that point.

Exiting the room, Harry headed straight for his private library, intent on seeing if there were any books on wands, taking a short tour of his quarters on the way.

Harry was impressed with his rooms. The sitting room alone was almost the size of his dormitory at Hogwarts. It was decorated in soft pastel browns with black leather and mahogany furniture. There was a painting of Godric there hanging above a large stone fireplace.

The master bedroom was also a remarkable sight. The walls were sea blue with a warm maple woodwork on the lower half. The draperies on the window and the bed were done in emerald with gold trim. The bedspreads and linens were Gryffindor scarlet and gold. The bed looked big enough for six people at once. There was an enchanted window on the west wall that showed a darkened Quidditch pitch.

Harry took a quick look at the bathroom. He was shocked. It put the Prefects Bath to shame. Not only did it have a tub at least as large, but had an enclosed glass and white marble shower big enough for four people and a built in seat. The shower also had multiple showerheads. There was a state of the art sound muggle sound system embedded into the west wall. Harry could only assume that it was enchanted to work properly. There was also a large sauna, a floor-to-ceiling mirror that took up the entire south wall. There were 3 sinks and enough counter space between them to lie down on.

Checking the map, Harry found the current password to get into the Library which changes once an hour and where the door was. The door was on the east wall in the southeast corner of the master bedroom.

Tapping the correct spot the wall with his wand and speaking the password, part of the wall slide backward and to the side, revealing a library that felt comfortable. There were a few tables with magical lights on them and several stuffed chairs but the rest of the room was stuffed floor to ceiling with books. There must be at least a couple thousand volumes easily.

Harry started looking and after about 20 minutes of searching, found a section on wand-making. During his search, he encountered the Dark Arts Section, Dueling, Broomstick Design, Potions (even found a thin book called "Potions For Idiots (Gryffindors)" by Severus Snape), Transfiguration, and the Mental Arts sections.

Picking out a couple of the most interestingly titled wand-making books and the potions book by Snape, Harry put the books into his pack and made his way outside.

Being about just after six in the morning now, Harry could see the sun rising. After watching the beautiful sight for a few minutes, he sighed and got ready for a new day. Retrieving the map from where he stashed it, Harry zoomed it out to cover the whole grounds.

Covering about 100 acres, not including the land that the manor itself was on, the map showed a Quidditch pitch to Harry's right and around the corner to the north. It was not as big as the one at Hogwarts of course, being for personal use and not competition. Off to the south of the manor are the stables and pastures, both currently empty of creatures except for some goats wandering around nibbling on the grass and occasionally talking to each other. One of the goats was about five feet away from Harry and he distinctly heard it say "M-m-m-o-o-o-v-v-v-v-e" with a very goatish accent while it was staring at the patch of clover underneath his feet. Harry startled and quickly moved to the side, after which the goat proceeded to amble over and start chewing on the clovers.

To the west was the path to the Carriage house and the way out. The southwest held a decent sized lake, but luckily no giant squid. To the southeast, to the east and also to the north on the other side of the pitch, there was a large forest, looking forbidding as the Forbidden Forest.

Resolving to check out the pitch and the rest of the grounds after he got his Firebolt back and when he had more time, Harry put the map away and brought his necklace out into view.

Due to a slight phobia caused by the unfortunate Tri-Wizard Cup Incident, Harry at least for now had some irrational fear when it came to portkeys. With some bit of hesitation even though he knew this one was safe, Harry grasped the badger firmly with his left hand and holding his wand at the ready in his right said firmly, "take me back to PRISON!" and disappeared with a tug behind his navel only to reappear in his room at the Dursleys and hear Aunt Petunia bellow through the closed door, "For the last time, boy! Breakfast is ready!"

Taking the advice given for apparating and hoping it applied to portkeys as well, Harry did not brace himself for landing this time. Landing on his feet for a change, Harry said to the door, "Thank you Aunt Petunia, I'll be down in a moment."

"Humph. Don't take too long."

Tucking his necklace back under his shirt, Harry tossed his knapsack on his bed and tucked his wand up in its holster up his left sleeve. After stretching for a moment, opened the door and headed down to breakfast.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Tucking his necklace back under his shirt, Harry tossed his knapsack on his bed and tucked his wand up in its holster up his left sleeve. After stretching for a moment, opened the door and headed down to breakfast.

Shutting his door behind him, Harry headed down the stairs. Seeing Dudley turning the corner below him, he decided to take his time, rather than rushing down the stairs, even though he was about as hungry as Ron normally was in the morning.

Coming into the kitchen, he sees Dudley at the table already, eating a large bowl of porridge, laced liberally with honey. Aunt Petunia was fixing bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. Uncle Vernon was not present, having decided to take a late shower before having to go to church. Appearances must be kept up since this was Privet Drive.

There was a knock at the back door.

Looking out through the glass in the door, Harry saw that it appeared to be Remus. Even though Harry was expecting Remus this morning, he decided to play it safe.

"What color was Snape's pants when my father turned him upside down?"

"Eww, Harry, that was not something I had wanted to remember. But they were gray, I think it was from all the grease running down from his hair."

"Yuck! But it's probably true. Come inside, Remus."

Harry unlocked and then opened the kitchen door for his ex-professor. He actually looked decently dressed for once. The gray wool trousers and charcoal sweater looked new, rather than threadbare as they had in the past. It obviously was one of the new outfits that Tonks has helped them pick out recently.

Stepping inside, the werewolf gave Harry a hug and then greeted Petunia who offered him a cup of tea, which he graciously accepted.

Harry said, "Let's go up to my room to talk. That way Aunt Petunia does not have to listen about 'stuff'. Follow me?"

Grabbing a buttered piece of toast, Harry led the way out of the kitchen and upstairs to his bedroom.

After Harry shut his bedroom door, Remus began telling him about the meeting with the Headmaster. It had gone well but Dumbledore had been reluctant to give the portkey.

"No problem Moony, even if the old coot had refused, I found a way to get there safely and very quickly as well. About as quick as a phoenix can travel that is. I figured out what my nickname should be. I want to be called Akela," said Harry with a smirk.

Having read Rudyard Kipling's 'The Junglebook', Remus recognized the name. "You are a wolf animagus, Harry? That is wonderful news!" he exclaimed.

"Remus, you had better sit down for this."

Confused, his former professor sat down on the bed.

"Harry, what is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong Remus. I found out what the key was for. It was Gryffindor Manor. I was just there for a short time and learned a few things."

With those words, Harry silently apparated behind his dear old mentor and poked him in the back.

Remus jumped and whirled around startled but then went white as the implications of what Harry had just done hit him.

"You can apparate?" Remus asked.

"Yup, along with a few other things. Later in the week I plan on taking you there. The place is so wicked. It has got as almost as much protections on it as Hogwarts herself does. And the library is so much bigger and more extensive. Although I think that we should move the library from Grimmauld Place to there, especially the Dark items where they'll be safer. And no it's not under the Fidelius, but something similar and better. Close your mouth, Remus. Something will fly in." Harry told Remus with a grin and a gleam in his eyes.

Remus obediently shut his mouth that had been hanging open in shock.

"Harry, nobody has seen that place for hundreds of years, let alone been inside it! I wonder what sort of books are in the library? Since it probably hasn't been updated in so long, the books must be very old and some of them will undoubtedly be out of date." exclaimed the werewolf, looking very perky now.

Harry was about to suggest going over there now to look it over, since he had not taken the time to before due to spending it all in the Room, when he remembered the task that Remus had undertaken.

"Hey Professor Moony? How did your meeting with the Headmaster go?" asked Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore expressed his concerns over the issues but agreed to a portkey for tomorrow at noon. He definitely did not look happy over it though." said Remus, handing the Slytherin Prefect Badge to Harry.

Looking at the crest, Harry could guess whose badge it must have been and smirked. _The ferret had it coming to him. It's not like he was a good prefect. Heck even Ron made a better prefect and he did not do much except take some points of a few Slytherins. _Harry's smirk grew as he sat there thinking.

As Harry and Remus talked more, Harry brought up wanting to go back with Remus shortly to look over things more and to add Remus to the list. The werewolf agreed and the two got ready to leave when a thought struck Remus.

"Harry? If the place is Godric Gryffindor's Manor, then how do you have access to it?" inquired Lupin.

"That's easy, I'm his heir it seems."

With that, Harry took out his necklace and grabbed Remus by the arm. Tapping the appropriate charm with his wand he said, "Home."

Feeling the now familiar pull against his navel, Harry relaxed and did not fight the magic of the portkey this time and landed on his feet. Remus stumbled slightly due to the fact that he was a bit in shock still from the revelation that Harry was Godric's Heir.

They appeared in the foyer. Harry noticed that the pedestal was not there any more and wondered when it disappeared.

Summoning Mr. Tibbles politely, Harry requested the house elf give them the guided tour since the elf knew everything about the place and to leave the libraries as last, since it would as hard to get Remus out of there as it would be Hermione if and or when she shows up there. Harry was of two minds opening it up to his friends. On one hand, he considered Hermione and the Weasleys to be family. But on the other hand, right now he could not trust them not to try and dissuade him from his course of action.


	9. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

Mr. Tibbles started the tour out with the dining room. Since Harry hadn't had the tour yet either, he was looking forward to seeing what his new home had.

There were five chandeliers arranged in a star pattern hanging from the ceiling. The combination of the cut crystals and the candles gave off a warm glow. The polished oak circular tables were situated below each chandelier with another smaller rectangular table along the south wall that was on a platform that raised a foot above the floor. It reminded Harry of the high table where the professors sat at Hogwarts.

The two men just glanced into the ballroom, not really interested in dancing at this time being men. Harry compared it to pictures he had seen in a couple of Hermione's books.

The next room that was of interest those was the muggle room. In the southwest corner was a full size billiards table covered with Gryffindor red felt. There was an ebony rack on the wall next to it filled with cues and balls lined up on the bottom. Nearby was a dartboard. The northwest corner had a largish corner desk with a familiar computer on it. The southeast corner had a wide screen television that was taller than Harry with a state of the art sound system attached to it. There was a couple of racks nearby that had Harry's CD's on it that he had purchased in London. Harry had not realized that Mr. Tibbles was that efficient.

The next set of rooms that they visited were Harry's suite of rooms. Remus was very impressed. Harry had to physically drag him out of his library though with a promise to let him visit it later.

Harry's stomach started growling, causing Remus to laugh and exclaim, "I guess our tour will be cut short due to a hungry Harry!"

Harry glared at the werewolf, embarrassed and mortified by his betraying stomach.

Mr. Tibbles appeared with the typical crack of a house elf with a large picnic basket filled to the brim with various goodies and suggested lunch to be held on the Quidditch pitch where Master Harry could practice afterwards. Harry brightened at the suggestion and asked the elf to join them for lunch as well.

The trio proceeded outside to the pitch after making a quick detour to the Quidditch room to pick up a couple of Nimbus 2000 brooms, a Quaffle, and a practice snitch for Harry. The intention was to have a pickup game after lunch between the two wizards.

As they proceeded, Remus reminisced to Harry about one of his father's more interesting games in which both Sirius and James played Chasers during their fifth year. Of course the match was between Gryffindor and Slytherin. James and Sirius were competing against each other to show off their flashiest, boldest, and most dangerous moves in order to impress the girls in the crowd. In James' case, it was solely to try and catch Lily Evan's eyes. In Sirius Black's though it was a group of about six different girls, each of which he had been trying to get alone in a broom cupboard for the past month.

Although his gaggle of girls were ooohing and ahhhing over Sirius's antics, Lily was pointedly ignoring whatever James did since she had caught him tormenting Severus the prior day.

Madam Hooch, who was the referee, even back then, gave the pair of them so many penalties that Slytherin actually won the game, even though the Gryffindor seeker actually caught the snitch. Needless to say, this did not make the boys popular with either Professor Mcgonagall or the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. She ended up giving them both detentions scrubbing all the boys toilets for the next week. The team got even with James and Sirius as well. The pranksters found themselves pranked, when the next morning stuck to their sheets with honey and their heads engorged to twice their normal size, in large glowing letters hanging over their heads stating in no uncertain terms that playing like that would not be tolerated again.

James and Sirius readily agreed to it since scrubbing dirty toilets is no fun, but it started a prank war between them and the rest of the team that lasted all week. Marauder honor was at stake now.

The tale brought tears and laughter to Harry, having never heard much of anything about his parents except what insults Professor Snape decided to heap upon him about his father.

After an enjoyable repast, it was time for Quidditch! Harry spent several minutes after getting on his broom, just flying around, diving, and doing other aerial maneuvers. He was just so happy to be back in the air. Mr. Tibbles left at this time, begging

Since there was only Harry and Remus playing, both wizards played Chaser, leaving the goals unguarded.

After a couple hours of them, Remus begged off and sat down to watch Harry practice with the Snitch. His heart nearly stopped though when Harry did a Wronski Feint and immediately caught the snitch afterwards.

Calling it quits for the night on the pitch, Harry asked Remus to help him practice dueling then in the Salle. The werewolf was hesitant since they were so tired, but Harry reminded him that Death Eaters would not be lenient on him if they knew he was tired and so needed practice dueling while tired. Reluctantly agreeing, the pair retired to the Dueling Chamber.

Harry and Remus agreed on the rules before beginning though. Since they were working on stamina and speed while dueling tired, specified that only stunners and shield spells would be used.

The duel resembled something out of Star Wars. Bright red bolts zapping across and bouncing off invisible shields that glowed blue for a split second on impact.

Since the werewolf undeniably had better reflexes and stamina, Remus was keeping Harry on the edge of his current abilities. Harry was panting and gasping for breath near the end, as he had to nearly continuously dodge curses thrown at him non-stop by his ex-professor.

Getting frustrated with his lack of success against Remus, Harry had had his wand extended towards the werewolf when a powerful stunner was released from it without an audible incantation.

Barely blocking it in his disbelief, Remus gaped at Harry in shock momentarily and then gave a grin worthy of Sirius Black.

"Harry, do you realize what you just did? You did the spell without the incantation being spoken! Only powerful wizards can do that!"

Harry nearly dropped his wand at this revelation.

_Great, yet another reason for me to be thought of as a freak_ Harry thought as he grimaced in reaction.

Seeing Harry's expression, the werewolf quickly tried to reassure him that it was not a bad thing.

"Harry, there are many wizards out there that can do that with spells such as closing windows or doors. Even Snape can do it on occasion!" said Remus.

A little mollified, Harry relaxed and promised himself he would think about what just happened objectively later before bed while doing his Occlumency review for the day.

"I'm okay with it Moony. Just a tad bit shocked right now is all. However, I would like to stop now and eat dinner by myself right now and think it over and get a bit of reading done before I fall asleep. I promise I will not brood about it as you put it earlier!" replied Harry.

Sensing that this was the end of the discussion, Remus said, "I believe you Harry but hope you do not mind if I ask Mr. Tibbles to check up on you later to make sure you ate! You still look too think and Molly will have my hide if I do not make sure you are eating properly."

At this amicable parting, the two wizards parted company for the night and headed back to their respective rooms.

After Harry arrived at his room, he summoned the house elf and asked him to prepare a simple muggle dinner for him known as Grilled Cheese with cream of tomato soup with some milk to wash it down.

After the house elf left to prepare the dinner, Harry settled down in one of his comfy chairs in his sitting room with the book on wand making that he found in his master library.

_Author's Note: I know it's short and been a while. Chapter Ten should be out in June. Anybody have any guesses what Harry is going to do with the book? I'm not saying but of course I know. One or more of the Weasley's will be showing up in either the next chapter or the one right after it. The question is should it be Ron, Ginny, or the twins?_

_stay tuned as I plan on updating much sooner than I have._


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